Cartridge case removal means



Nov. 5, 1957 J. c. VAIDEN 2,811,922-

CARTRIDGE CASE REMOVAL MEANS Filed Feb. 1., 1955 FIG. 2 {3 -/5 FIG. 3

INVENTOR. JOHNC. VA/DE/V BY United States PatentO CARTRIDGE CASE REMOVAL MEANS John C. Vaiden, Packanack Lake, N. J., assignor to Bendix Aviation Corporation, Teterboro, N. J., a corporation of Delaware Application February 1, 1955, Serial No. 485,397

2 Claims. (Cl. 102-44) The present application relates to improvements in a cartridge case removal means and more particularly to a cartridge case for use in pressure generating device of a type that may after explosion of the cartridge be readily removable from a suitable breech mechanism without use of tools and by the operator even while wearing thick gloves.

An object of the invention is to provide novel means formed integral with a cartridge case for extracting a cartridge from the breech mechanism of a pressure generating device.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel cartridge case having a split flange which may be readily bent by the operator to form a handle with which the cartridge may be conveniently extracted from a breech mechanism after explosion of the cartridge.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a cartridge having formed integral therewith novel means for conveniently effecting the removal of the cartridge from V the breech of a cartridge type aircraft starter under varying operating conditions.

The above and other objects and features of the invention will appear more fully hereinafter from a consideration of the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawingse wherein an embodiment of the invention is illustrated by way of example.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a perspective view of a cartridge case embodying the subject invention and showing the split flange as bent by the operator to form an extraction handle.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the cartridge case of Figure 1 with the split flange in normal position and the cartridge inserted in the breech of a pressure generating device such as an aircraft engine cartridge starter with a breech block closing the same.

Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the cartridge case of Figure 1 showing the split flange and in dotted lines the flange as it may be bent by the operator to form a handle.

Referring now to Figure 2 of the drawings, a breech is indicated generally by the numeral 5 having a cartridge chamber 6, breech block 7 and operating lever 8 for the breech block 7.

The cartridge chamber 6 has external lugs 9 adapted to mate with internal lugs 10 of breech block 7 to retain the breech block in a closed position. The inner bore of the chamber 6 has a tapered portion 11 at the entrance thereof to facilitate the insertion of a cartridge 12. The cartridge 12 has a cylindrical casing portion 13 with an end cap 14. The cap 14 has a flange portion 15 extending therefrom with a radially outward extending flange 16, adapted to cooperate with the lugs 9 to limit the travel of the cartridge 12 into the chamber 6. Flange portion 15 has a circumferential groove 17 around the outer perimeter thereof adapted to receive a compressible sealing ring 18 which contacts in sealing relation with the inner surface of the cartridge chamber 6, as best shown in Figure 2.

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The operating lever 8 is suitably affixed to the breech block 7 so that the same may be readily turned by the operator in one direction to secure the breech block 7 to breech 5 by the engagement of internal lugs 10 with external lugs 9 and in an opposite direction to effect the removal of the breech block 7 from breech 5 by the disengagement of internal lugs 10 from the lugs 9.

A novel feature of the cartridge case 12, as best shown in Figure 3, is in the provision of a slit 20 in the flange 15 separating a portion of the flange 16 from the flange 15 and so arranged that upon explosion of the cartridge within the breech 5, the cartridge case 12 may be readily removed from the breech 5 by manually bending the flange 16 at right angles to the flange 15, as shown by dotted lines in Figure 3 and also in Figure 1, so as to form a convenient extraction handle. The flange 16 as thus bent forms a convenient handle whereby the cartridge case 13 may be readily extracted from the breech 6 without use of tools and even while the operator may be wearing thick or heavy gloves. In order that the flange 16 may be readily bent as heretofore indicated, there are provided notches 25 in the flange 16 at opposite sides thereof, as shown in Figures 1 and 3.

Operation It will be seen from the foregoing that in operation a cartridge 12 is first inserted into the breech 6 and thereafter the breech block 7 is positioned so as to close the breech 6 and conveniently secured to the breech through the operation of the handle 8 as heretofore explained. The portion of the flange 16 which is later bent so as to become part of the extraction handle is positioned with the remaining portion of the flange 16 between the breech 6 and breech block 7, as shown in Figure 2, and does not interfere with the closing of the breech 6 by the breech block 7 in any way.

After the charge in the cartridge case 12 is fired, the breech block 7 may be detached by convenient operation of the lever 8 exposing the flange 16 of the cartridge case. Half of the flange 16, as shown in Figures 1 and 3, may then be bent down to a position ninety degrees from its previous position so as to form a handle which has sufficient clearance to permit ready handling even by thickly gloved hands of operator so as to efiectuate the ready removal of the cartridge 12 from the breech 6.

An advantage of the subject device resides in its simplicity and inexpensiveness and in a novel arrangement which obviates the needs of tools or other mechanism for effecting the removal of the cartridge from the breech. Further, the device is simple and economical in manufacture.

Although only one embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described, various changes in the form and relative arrangement of the parts, which will now appear to those skilled in the art, may be made without departing from the scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A cartridge comprising a cylindrical casing, an end cap, a first flange portion extending from said end cap, a second flange portion extending radially outward from said first flange portion and adapted to cooperate with a breech mechanism to limit the travel of the casing in a breech chamber, said first flange portion having a slit therein separating a part of the first flange portion from a part of the second flange portion so that the last mentioned part of the second flange portion may be manually bent so as to provide a handle for removal of the cartridge casing from the breech chamber.

2. A cartridge comprising a cylindrical casing, an end cap, a first flange portion extending from said end cap, a second flange portion extending radially outward from said first flange portion and adapted to cooperate with a Patented Nov. 5, 1957 2,811,922 4 breech mechanism to limit the travel ofthe casing in a so as to provide a handle for removal of the cartridge breech chamber, said first flange portion having a slit casing from the breech chamber. thereinseparating a part of the first flange portion froma part of the second flange portion, and said second flange References Cited in th file of this patent portion having notches therein at ,oppositesidesthereof 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS ad acent the ends of said slit so that the last mentioned 40,112 Maynard "4""; Sept. 1863 part of the second flange portion may be manually bent 

